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What if~Arabia was unified?
Arabia has a history that is.........complicated at best. Especially today where peace seems..........non-existant. And this is largely thanks to some greedy Western European Countries who went back on a deal that they made with the Arabic People. But what if in an alternate scenario, the Western Alliance in World War 1 stuck to the original deal they made with Arabia, and it unified (as originally planned)? Now, this is a very complicated piece of history here and a lot happened too, so there has to be some historical context. You can always scroll down to the "What if?" section if you just want to read about the alternate scenario. Real History Around 1914 (when WW1 began) most of the Arabian Peninsula was territory if the Ottoman Empire (which was ruled over most of the Arabian region for a few centuries). But, as WW1 began the Ottoman Empire chose to side with the Central Powers (who we all know that were the losers of the war). During the war, the Western Alliance also made a deal with the oppressed Arabian people that if they rise against the Ottomans, they'll include them on the "Negotiating Table". At the "Negotiating Table", the Western Alliance even came up with something called the "Sykes-Picot Agreement" which initially was to unify the entire Arabian Peninsula and the surrounding areas. But, the British and the French (which still influenced their colonies) had darker plans and revised the agreement. So, the British just took a pencil, drew up their "Mandates" in Arabia, passed it off to the French which drew up their mandates. Giving the 2 nations control over the region. That wouldn't last long as both Britain and France weren't counting on Germany re-arming itself and bowling over the European Continent which causes their colonial Empires to end (though, the British had to give up theirs to remain financially stable for WW2). Of course, this would leave the Middle Eastern nations the Brits and French created to fend for themselves (eventhough they weren't ready), a problem which persists to this day in the Middle East. This would also allow the more powerful (and more radical) House of Saud were able to defeat the Mecca region. What if? Now, your favorite question, what if the British and French didn't go back on their deal with the Arabians and allowed the region to unify? Let's say in this Alternate Reality that the British and the French keep the original idea of the Sykes-Picot Agreement Now, this is a very complicated alternate scenario because a unified Arabia isn't what you think it would be. And don't think for one minute, that a "Unified Arabia" is this "Perfect Land of Sunshine and Rainbows" either. Though a Unified Arabia could have some effect on World War 2 because the Nazis had their sights on the oil fields in Arabia, for the sake of this scenario, let's say that WW2 goes according to plan (meaning it runs it's normal course). Back in Arabia however, there would be a conflict (like in Our reality), but with a Unified Arabia, things aren't put in the House of Saud's favor this time, and so the Sharif of Mecca (possibly with the help of the British) would be able to snuff out a majority of the Sauds and unify Arabia which would be known as the "Mecca Sharifate" Things won't become interesting until the Cold War, especially when in the 1950s the Arabics finally discovered oil in their native lands, so the question is who would ally with the Sharifate, and who would have the biggest influence on the Sharifate. Now, there is something you need to keep in mind when it comes to this alternate "United Arabia" and the Cold War. Because in Arabia, it wouldn't be a battle between Democracy or Communism, but rather, between people who are looking for social change so Arabia can keep up with the rest of the world (such as the USA, Europe, the USSR, and the Far East) and those who want to retain Arabia's traditional values (even Islamic ideals) not just on a Political Scale but a Culture one too. Because this is such a complicated scenario, I can see this going in 3 possible scenarios. Scenario 1~Western Influence Let's say in this scenario, the west has the most influence. Now, this would play out in a similar way of what happened in our reality. In our reality, the USA allied with Saudi Arabia because both had staunch anti-communist policies. Saudi Arabia kept the oil flowing and the USA would aid the Sauds to stamp out communist-led revolutionaries that are trying to overthrow the Kingdom. In this Alternate Reality, this would be on a much larger scale and be more prominent. Though, this would also mean that the USA would also be in favor of the more religious and more traditional values of the Sharifate to try to combat Communist influence. Influences that called for anti-religious policies in the Arabic Region (such as "Secularization") were seen to the Americans as Socialist in nature and against American Foreign Policy. Now, for those that see this as almost like "Conservatism", I need to remind you that this is *not* about "American Conservatism" but "Islamic Conservatism" which is different. I mean, women being looked down to as inferior and subservient to men, hijab is mandatory, and other things like that. So, a Unified Arabia with Western Influence would be (in nature) be more conservative. But this won't last long, (especially in Our Reality with Hashimte nations such as Jordan being more liberal than Saudi Arabia) but the progress would be much longer in this scenario, but it would be safer nevertheless as traditional values are much safer. Scenario 2~Soviet Influence In a reality where the Soviets had the biggest influence, things in a United Arabia would be more radical, and maybe more violent too. Because there is one thing the Soviets hated more than Democracy and Capitalism was a land that was ruled by a person that had the belief that he/she ruled by a "Religiously Devine Right", and this was seen as more radical than the slightly more religious west. The Soviets would fund (and even arm) any anti-monarchy movement in the region so they can rise against the Sharif. If successful (and *IF* being the keyword here) would cause this unified Arabic nation to descend into a Civil War. Though, I truly believe that this scenario is the least likely to happen. So, I'm not going to focus hugely on this scenario. Scenario 3~It's Own Influence The third scenario for this "United Arabia" is that the nation follows an ideology called "Baathism". Baathism is what can be best described for those that don't have a great knowledge of foreign politics is that it's a mix of Socialism and Nationalism. In the 1950s Baathists believed that they should work together ("Unify") to modernize and to keep up with the rest of the world, basically to begin a "Renaissance" in Arabia (which is what Baath means: Renaissance). Now, that doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, the problem is *HOW* this would be done. Most Arabic people would try to do it by Military Force, overthrow the more traditional thinking Sharifate and form a one-party authoritarian state which would be about Secularization. Baathism in Our Reality was hijacked by another "Snake in the Grass" Sadaam Hussein and still used today in Syria. This United Arabia in this scenario would also try to use their Military force to combat the influences of both Western Ideologies and Russian Communism. Baathism's enemy: "Wahhabism" would still be around, however (even if it had little, if any, political power). So, there would be conflicts between the Modern thinking Baathists, and the Traditionalist Wahhabists. This particular scenario also has the greatest chance of occurring in a Unified Arabic State. So, no matter how you look at this alternate scenario. This United Arabic State would not see peace, it's fate would also be a bad thing on both sides of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, the region itself would also see some kind of conflict. Either it is a Civil War, a revolution, or whatnot. But one thing is for sure. If the House of Saud was defeated, Wahhabism would have a much smaller influence in Arabia and the Islamic World as a whole. Radical Terrorist groups would still exist by the 21st century, but it wouldn't have the support or numbers as they do in our reality. The conflicts that would go on in a Unified Arabic State would be more "secular" in nature. As I said before, it wouldn't be about "Democracy and Communism" or Conflicts between nations that were drawn up by power-hungry Colonial Empires that eventually failed lost control, forcing these nations to fend for themselves even if they were ill-prepared. It would be conflicts between the ideals that could help Arabia to modify and possibly compete with the more developed world and traditionalists, and in this alternate reality, there could be changes that allow Arabia to go forward, and not back. But who emerges the victor in these conflicts? That's impossible to tell. What do you think would happen if Araba Unified? Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikis as well. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.